Title talk: Who will be the UFC’s next two-division champion?

Title talk: Who will be the UFC’s next two-division champion?

With Jose Aldo expected to vacate his UFC featherweight title to move up a weight class and current champions like Jon Jones and Chris Weidman discussing a potential future in different divisions, the possibility of a UFC fighter winning belts in two weight categories seems more realistic than ever.

Only two fighters in company history have captured belts in multiple weight classes. One of those men is Hall-of-Fame inductee Randy Couture (19-11 MMA, 16-8 UFC), who over his legendary UFC career managed to earn straps in both the heavyweight and light heavyweight divisions.

The other fighter to accomplish the feat is B.J. Penn (16-9-2 MMA, 12-8-2 UFC). “The Prodigy” won the welterweight title in 2004, and four years later earned lightweight gold. Penn has always been one to do the unthinkable in MMA, and with his debut in the featherweight division slated for later this year, he could be the first to win a UFC championship in three weight classes.

While a fighter fluctuating up or down in weight is the norm in the MMA world, it’s rare to see championship-level athletes make the switch and continue to find success. It has been over six years since the UFC last had a fighter to reach the pinnacle of the sport in more than one division, but as the organization continues to dig into its 2014 schedule, the possibilities are rich.

With that said, here are eight fighters with the potential of joining Couture and Penn on the rare list of fighters to win UFC belt in two weight classes.

Immediate Candidates

Vitor Belfort (24-10 MMA, 13-6 UFC), former UFC light heavyweight champion: “The Phenom” had his chance to crack the list once before, but his infamous front-kick knockout loss to former 185-pound champion Anderson Silva at UFC 126 squandered his opportunity. Fortunately for the Brazilian knockout specialist, he has climbed back up the mountain with a series of devastating finishes and will have another chance to get UFC gold strapped around his waist when he challenges Chris Weidman for the middleweight title at UFC 173 in May.

Jose Aldo (24-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC), reigning UFC featherweight champion: In an unprecedented move for a UFC champion, Aldo is expected to vacate his 145-pound title and take his talents to the lightweight division where he’ll challenge titleholder Anthony Pettis in a highly anticipated fight this summer. Some thought “Scarface” could be the rare talent to hold belts in two weight classes simultaneously, but it seems he’ll have to focus his attention on just one division at a time.

Future Possibilities

Lyoto Machida (20-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC), former UFC light heavyweight champion: The middleweight division is now home for Machida, and he could be just one win away from competing for the belt. “The Dragon” has a significant challenge in Gegard Mousasi lined up for later this month. Should he get past that challenge, it’s possible a shot at the winner of Weidman vs. Belfort will be in his future.

Frankie Edgar (16-4-1 MMA, 10-4-1 UFC), former UFC lightweight champion: Similar to Belfort, “The Answer” already had his chance to accomplish the rare feat, but was unsuccessful in his title bid against Aldo last year. With Aldo appearing to be on his way out of the division, Edgar could be in luck as a few more wins could slide him right back into another championship fight.

Long Shots

Rashad Evans (19-3-1 MMA, 14-3-1 UFC), former UFC light heavyweight champion: While Evans is in hot pursuit of reclaiming the light heavyweight belt; the idea of “Suga” at middleweight is incredibly intriguing. Evans’ lack of desire to cut down to 185 pounds is no secret, but should he ever make the decision to give it a shot, he would immediately be placed on the short-list of title contenders.

Renan Barao (32-1 MMA, 7-0 UFC), reigning UFC bantamweight champion: For a long time it appeared the only reason Barao was fighting in the 135-pound weight class was due to the fact his good friend and teammate Aldo held the belt at featherweight. That’s not entirely the case, though, as Barao stated he has no intention of moving up, even with Aldo’s departure at 145 pounds. With that said, if the weight cut becomes to difficult or the challengers run thin at bantamweight, it’s entirely possibly Barao could switch weight categories and challenge for the belt in short order.

Chris Weidman (11-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC), reigning UFC middleweight champion: Even though Weidman has only defended his belt once, the confident New Yorker has already mentioned the possibility of one day moving up to the light heavyweight division. Weidman offered to step in and fight 205-pound kingpin Jon Jones on just a few days notice prior to the infamously canceled UFC 151 event in 2012, but that opportunity never came to fruition. The middleweight division is fairly deep with contenders at this point. However, if Weidman can put together an Anderson Silva-esque title run, the odds of one day moving up a weight class to contend for a title are quite high.

Jon Jones (19-1 MMA, 13-1 UFC), reigning UFC light heavyweight champion: Jones will eventually bulk up and make the jump to the heavyweight division – it’s just a matter of when that will happen. While “Bones” is currently the best 205-pound fighter on the planet and arguably sport’s best pound-for-pound talent, getting a stranglehold on the competition at heavyweight will be an infinitely more difficult task. The dynamic between the two weight classes greatly vary and a matchup with someone of Cain Velasquez’s caliber would be no cakewalk. Jones has made his intentions to one day become UFC heavyweight champion well known, but of all the potential contenders to become a two-weight class champion, his road may be the most difficult of all.

For more on the UFC’s upcoming schedule, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

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